champagne taste on a sweet tea budget.

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I am always a little leery of food trends because it seems they are as fickle as the catwalk in terms of staying power. The latest frenzy has definitely been the primal/paleo movement. Let me just say, I am not a primal nor a paleo person. There are certain aspects that I think are good and beneficial, but I am not a ‘disciple’ of either. However, I am not above cherry picking some of the lovely recipes from this latest food fad, this fudge being one delectable example.

I happened upon this recipe from Practical Paleo via Pinterest and oh my goodness, what a discovery! I have such a terrible sweet tooth. It has been a real challenge for me to overcome because I know sugar is a nemesis to any form of weight loss or vibrant health, but it often beckons to me like a saccharine siren seductress…

The beautiful thing about this recipe is that it is sweetened with raw honey, which is rich in natural enzymes that are easily broken down. It is also very beneficial in building the body’s immunity to allergens so, if you are able, it is best to get local honey. It also is delightfully helpful in that the main component of this recipe is coconut oil. This might come as a surprise to some who have spent years avoiding fat like the plague, though I feel like there is somewhat a turning of the tide among the nutritionally aware, that there are great benefits to be gained from healthy fats. You might not have realized though, that coconut oil is among the healthiest of fats. I think that it has had a bad reputation in the past because some scientist in some lab decided to categorize it as a trans fat. I would encourage any of you who might be a little dubious, to do some reading on the topic. I highly recommend anything written by Bruce Fife…the guy is the international poster boy for anything involving coconut. He has written several books on the benefits of coconut including The Coconut Cure. It’s an easy read and gives detailed descriptions of the molecular structure of coconut oil and explains how it is beneficial to the body.

I also recommend reading Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. She is the founder of the Weston A. Price Foundation and is a champion for traditional ways of eating. She is also co-author of Eat Fat, Lose Fat along with Mary Enig. Mary Enig is a world renowned authority on fats and has dedicated her life’s work to researching the effects of fats in our diet. Her work is an excellent resource to discern which fats are good for the body and which ones have seriously damaging effects.

I just want to say, don’t be overwhelmed. This seems like a lot of information just to introduce a recipe, but I often tell people, a really good first step toward natural eating is to take a look at the fats in your diet. If you use margarine, switch to real butter. Nature always wins over a chemistry lab, in my humble opinion…So, that is a great first step! You can do this! =)

Primal(ish) Fudge:

1 Cup Coconut Oil (Make sure you use unrefined.)

1 Cup Cocoa Powder

1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/4 Cup Raw Honey (or raw Maple Syrup)

1 teaspoon Vanilla

(I put -ish in the title because I’m not sure if peanut butter is allowed in primal foods, but I didn’t want to pay $7.00 for 8 oz. of Almond Butter…)

Gather your ingredients.

I am SO grateful to have a sweet friend who happens to sell honey harvested by her husband! If you can’t get local raw honey though, it’s fine! Just use what you have!

MAKE SURE you melt your coconut oil LOW and SLOW! Heat kills all the good stuff, so be patient!

Use a mesh strainer to sift in your cocoa powder to avoid any clumps.

Shake in a little at a time.

Mix well.

It should be really smooth, with no clumps.

In another bowl, add your honey to the peanut butter.

Now add the Vanilla.

Bring out the ‘power tools.’

Mix in the cocoa powder/coconut oil mixture slowly.

Time to fill the cups!

Fill each muffin tin liner with the chocolate mixture.

Place in the freezer for at least 15-20 minutes. Coconut oil solidifies when the temperature exceeds 76 degrees, so this part won’t take long.

When you get tired of fiddle-farting around (pardon my French) with those tiny muffin tins, pull out the big guys.

Add some extra’s! My son requested banana.

Give it a double punch of coconut !

Finish filling your tins and place in the freezer.

Here is the finished product. Make sure you store them in a tightly sealed container in the fridge, or the freezer.